Derelict for nearly two years, the three-story, 8,000-square-foot historic train station at 3204 Mission Inn Ave. in Riverside has come chugging back to life in yet another incarnation.

The new tenant, Jose Hernandez, 58, of Corona has gutted, remodeled and transformed the downtrodden 1904 depot into a restaurant called El Patron, a stunning homage to his native Mexico.

El Patron opened in November, and a grand opening ceremony is scheduled for Jan. 15.

Hernandez’s eye and attention to detail are impressive. He fell in love with the building’s good bones and design, which reminded him of Mexico. “I made it look colonial Mexican-style, with a lot of art and arches,” he said.

The metamorphosis has been time-consuming and costly. Every inch, from the clay roof tiles and rustic chandeliers to the pine wheel sconces, granite bar counters and wooden tiled floors, Hernandez imported from Guadalajara.

From the weekend mariachi music to the unpretentious menu, “everything is very authentic, affordable and family-friendly,” Hernandez said. “No fancy cloth stuff.”

The menu’s humongous fiesta platters ($9-$15) include homemade tacos, grilled chorizo, tostadas, enchiladas and boiled white marinated fish, plus soy substitutes for vegetarians. For now, the restaurant seats about 120 on the first floor and side patio. The fate of the upstairs is still, well, up in the air.

Hernandez has worked all his life in food service toward fulfilling his dream of launching El Patron, which means “the boss.” His wife, Claudia, keeps the books, and the boss partnered with his two eldest sons, Edgar, 23, and Mike, 19, to help run the joint. “I’m doing this for them,” Jose Hernandez said.

Information: 951-462-1161

FROM PIZZA TO PITA

Of Lebanese descent, but born and raised in the United States, Mark Berry moved to Riverside in 1988 to open a Little Caesars Pizza and never left. Despite his success at eventually owning and operating 156 stores around the country, Berry dreamed of serving the Mediterranean cuisine of his ancestors.

Everything, from the hummus and tabbouleh to the beef kebabs and pita, is house-made, with supersize entrees running $11-$13. Berry said he hopes to franchise the family-owned business, whose workers includes his wife, Iman, 50, son Allie, 22, daughter Sarah, 21, and several nephews. Colleague Jennifer Iyer and I went nuts over the food, especially the falafels and the folded Lebanese bread called man’oushe, coated with roasted thyme and olive oil. That and the big, puffy pita are served hot from the oven.

E.A.T. Marketplace, Baily’s Old Town, The Broken Yolk and Bangkok Chef Restaurant are but a few of the participants in Temecula Valley Restaurant Month, offering deals, bargains and specials throughout January.

Laurie Lucas started at The Press-Enterprise in 1981 in the human interest section called Sidelight. Since then she has written mostly features but also detoured into municipal meetings, covering Eastvale, Moreno Valley, Perris, Canyon Lake and Lake Elsinore. After a couple of years as a business reporter, she returned in 2014 to features. She now writes mostly profiles, arts and entertainment stories, dining profiles and a weekly Foodie Empire column. She would love to be a musician, singer dancer, artist, author or scratch cook. But because she’s not, she enjoys a vicarious thrill writing about other people’s talents.

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